Texas’s Rick Perry made a good start in Iowa last week despite his comment about treason, while Utah’s Jon Huntsman’s refusal to campaign here is a tragic mistake that will end his presidential hopes, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said this morning.

During his weekly press conference, Branstad had little to say about three possible new players in Republican presidential politics: Alaska’s Sarah Palin, New York’s George Pataki and Wisconsin’s Paul Ryan.

“All good people,” Branstad said simply.

All three are expected to decide in coming weeks whether or not to seek the GOP nomination for president.

However, Branstad gushed about Perry, the longtime governor of Texas who made his Iowa debut last week after declaring his candidacy in South Carolina on Iowa Straw Poll day.

“I think he did a tremendous job at the Iowa State Fair,” said Branstad, a fellow Republican. “I thought he was as relaxed and confident and at home at the Iowa State Fair as anybody I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot of them. He comes from a farm background, he’s a former agriculture commissioner, he’s a graduate of Texas A&M.”

Branstad added: “Only thing, in Texas they always say how big everything is and we tend to downplay and understate here. But I think he came across very well.”

Asked about Perry’s comment in Iowa last week that it would be “almost treasonous” for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to attempt to revive the economy by directly injecting money, Branstad said it had to be taken in context.

Perry said last Monday, according to CBS News: “If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I dunno what y’all would do to him in Iowa but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas. Printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treasonous in my opinion.”

Branstad today said: “I think that was probably the wrong choice of words. But the idea that somehow we’re going to correct our problems in this country by printing more money, I think people are apprehensive about that.”

Huntsman said: “You know in New Hampshire, they pick presidents. I know they pick something else in Iowa.”

Branstad gave a derisive laugh when asked about that comment. “Well, I think he’s off on the wrong track. Jon Huntsman isn’t even an asterisk when you take a poll.”

At the National Governors Association meeting in Utah last month, Branstad and Huntsman had “a good meeting,” the Iowa governor said.

“I told him he’s making a tragic mistake because after the Iowa caucuses it’s going to be who ever wins Iowa versus Romney in New Hampshire,” Branstad told reporters this morning. “And those people that don’t compete in Iowa – and it might be who wins Iowa and who beats expectations. Because it’s kind of an expectations game – versus Romney, who’s the national frontrunner.

“My prediction is that nobody will ever hear about Huntsman if he doesn’t come to Iowa.”